Sympathy from an Angel
by Lamia of the Dark
Summary: During a difficult case, Franziska finds an unexpected source of sympathy and strength... A rewrite of my "Sympathy for the Devil". COMPLETE.
1. The Last Train Home

**DISCLAIMER: Phoenix Wright and all of its characters belong to Capcom and are being used here without permission. This applies to the entirity of the fic. Any additional disclaimers will be posted where necessary.**

**A/N: This is my second attempt at Sympathy. The first few chapters are basically the same as Sympathy for the Devil's. A few edits/line changes have been made. Major overhaul will start at chapter 4.**

Chapter 1: The Last Train Home

Franziska von Karma was tired, cranky, and cold. She had just walked two miles from the courthouse, where she had lost yet another trial to that insufferable man, Phoenix Wright. The trial had finished late in the evening. It had been warm that morning when she left her apartment so she hadn't thought to bring a jacket with her. Now that she was standing out in the cold, waiting for the last train home, she was starting to regret that decision. As she crossed her arms over her chest in an admittedly pathetic attempt to stay warm, she berated herself mentally for not thinking ahead. _A von Karma does fall prey to such foolish things as the weather._

She heard the footsteps of someone coming up behind her and she immediately composed herself, dropping her arms to her sides and carefully adjusting her facial expression so that it no longer revealed her inner emotions. Once she deemed herself presentable to the public, she turned to see what poor loser was coming to catch the train.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped, fingering the coils of her whip. She was shocked to hear the harshness in her own voice. She hadn't meant to speak in that tone of voice, but the person standing in front of her was the last person she would have ever expected to see here.

Detective Gumshoe looked up at the sound of Franziska's voice. She saw the flash of fear that crossed his face as he stopped short, just inside the range of her whip. His expression quickly sank from fear into depression as he answered her question.

"My car is in the shop, so I have to take the train." _Not that I have money for the repairs._

"Is that all," she replied dismissively.

He didn't answer because it didn't sound like a question. She wasn't even looking at him anymore. She had turned around and was staring out over the railroad tracks. She was trying to hide it, but he could see that she was shivering in the chill night air.

He didn't know it, but he was smiling as he walked over to where Franziska was standing. He shrugged out of his trenchcoat as he went. She didn't look at him as he stepped up beside her.

"Aren't you cold, pal?" he asked. "That skirt is awfully short."

He kept his voice light, and she thought he was teasing her, but when she turned and saw that he was offering her his coat, she felt an unknown emotion rise in her stomach. If she had to guess, she'd say it felt a little bit like guilt mixed with ten different levels of discomfort.

"Thank you," she said softly. She accepted the coat and wrapped it around her shoulders without putting her arms through the sleeves. She felt warmer almost immediately, though she couldn't tell whether it was because the coat actually helped or if it was just a trick of her mind. As she stood there, clutching the detective's coat around herself against the cold, the uncomfortable feeling intensified. _Why is he doing this, when I... when I..._ She cringed when she thought of how she treated him.

A few minutes passed in an uncomfortable silence which was only broken by the sound of the train arriving. The train was unusually crowded for that time of night and Franziska vaguely wondered what all these people were doing out so late, before concentrating on the task at hand: finding a place to sit.

"Ms. von Karma, over here!" she heard Gumshoe call out to her. It seemed he had found the only empty seat left on the train. There was enough room for both of them and she hurried over to where he was waiting for her. As she sat down next to him, that uncomfortable feeling flared in the pit of her stomach again.

"Why are you being nice to me, when I..." _when I've never shown any form of kindness towards you?_ she finished the question silently. The confusion of conflicting emotions showed clearly in her eyes.

Detective Gumshoe laid a hand on her shoulder. "You looked like you could use a friend."

_A von Karma does not "make friends."_ As her father's words flashed through her mind, a half-forgotten memory floated to the forefront of her mind and her heart was choked with darkness. Franziska felt something break inside her. She laid her head on the detective's shoulder and began to cry.

By the time Franziska woke up (_When did I fall asleep?_) they were almost at her stop, which was also the next-to-last stop on the train's route. The train stopped. She stood and made her way to the doors. She noticed that the detective was following her.

"Is this your stop, too?" she asked, surprised.

Gumshoe laughed nervously. "We passed my stop half an hour ago, while you were asleep." He sighed dejectedly. "I guess I'll have to catch a cab to get me back home."

_You didn't have to do that. You could have woken me up._ She started to voice her protest aloud, but he was smiling at her, that same foolish smile as always, and the words died on her tongue. She was struck by another unsettling feeling, but this one was tinged with a kind of sugared electricity.

"I... goodnight, detective." She turned away from him suddenly and started toward home. It wasn't until she reached her apartment that realized she still had his coat.


	2. How Rumors Are Started

Chapter 2 - How Rumors Are Started

The human mind is an amazing thing. Franziska von Karma had no memory of her breakdown on the train. While she slept, that event was quietly tucked away into a dark corner of her mind where the memory that had triggered her tears, and also many other memories of her childhood, had been sealed. When she woke, she assumed that she had merely succumbed to the exhaustion of a taxing day and thought nothing more of it. After all, it was a foolish and insignificant little event.

However, she had a little more trouble putting the detective's coat out of her mind. Several days had passed since that fateful night on the train and she still had it. The poor thing was currently residing in the bottom of the hall closet in Franziska's apartment, where she had thrown it the moment she realized that she had never given it back to its owner that night.

She knew that she had to return it, but it would be beneath her dignity to just walk into the police department and hand it to him, let alone publicly thank him for allowing her to borrow it. Despite that, she couldn't bring herself to arrange a private meeting with him, either. Some part of the unsettling feelings she had felt that night crept back into her system whenever she thought of herself having a secret meeting alone with the detective.

There was also the possibility that her job at the prosecutor's office might require her to visit the police department for some reason. If that were to happen and she were to see Detective Gumshoe there, he would most likely inquire as to the whereabouts of his coat, and she would then most likely be lost for an answer and thus publicly humiliated.

And so it was that the coat lay negelected in the bottom of the closet. It was covering the shoe rack, so Franziska had taken to tossing her high heels on top of it when she got home from work. Tonight was no exception. She hadn't had a case since that last trial and she found the paperwork and other menial day-to-day tasks at the prosecutor's office repetitive and boring. She had to do it beacuse it was a part of her job, but she felt like she was wasting her time and not really getting any work done.

Franziska sighed as she hung her jacket on its designated hanger and hung it in its proper place in the closet. _I'm tired of this. I wish a case would come in soon._ She closed the closet door and went over to turn on the TV. She had planned on listening to the evening news while she fixed dinner, but when she turned on the TV there was an old movie on. It was in black in and white and featured a young lady knight, desperate to join her king's army. Despite her intentions, Franziska quickly became engrossed in the plot of the movie and curled up on the couch to watch.

By the middle of the movie, she had fallen asleep. The credits were rolling when she woke up, groggy and disoriented. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. It was almost 10 p.m._ I seem to be developing a habit of falling asleep where I shouldn't lately,_ she thought wryly to herself. She stood up and stretched, working the kinks out of her arms and legs from the awkward position she had fallen asleep in.

Franziska was about to head to the kitchen and scare up something to eat when the phone rang. _Who would be calling at this time of the night?_ She couldn't think of anyone who would even call her at all, unless... _Unless there was a murder_. Maybe she should have been careful what she wished for. There had been a murder. A double. The victims were children, three and four years old. If she wanted to be part of the investigation, she would have to get to the police departent immediately.

Franziska threw open the door to the closet and hurriedly grabbed her shoes. She remembered that it had been cold out earlier and without thinking she picked up the detective's coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. She slipped her high heels on and rushed to join the investigation team.

When Detective Gumshoe had shown up for work the day after his fateful encounter with Franziska von Karma without his trademark trenchcoat, many of the other officers had noticed and asked him why he wasn't wearing it. Gumshoe had laughed nervously and answered with shifty eyes, "I kind of... left it somewhere, pal." The other officers agreed amongst themselves that it was certainly like him to do something like that and nothing more was thought of it.

It wasn't until the day that Franziska showed up at the police department wearing the detective's coat that the rumors started...


	3. Memory: The Silent Child

**A/N: I've tweaked the part where Franziska starts talking in this chapter so that it's more clear what age she is at that time (someone thought she was still two when they read that part in Sympathy for the Devil!) and Maria's motives have been expanded on as well.**

Chapter Three - Memory: The Silent Child

At about the time that Franziska von Karma was dozing off in the middle of _Lady Knight_, Miles Edgeworth was sitting at his desk at the prosecutor's office, trying to finish the last bit of paperwork before he called it a night. He had been distracted all day. He doubted anyone else could even tell the difference, but he had noticed a disturbing change in Franziska's behavior lately. If it had just been a drop in her tendency to lash out at people with her whip, he might not have been so worried. However, coupled with that odd occurence, she had hardly spoken a word to anyone in the past few days. It reminded Edgeworth of the time during his childhood when he was first introduced into the von Karma household...

_The nine-year old Edgeworth followed Manfred von Karma through the house, paying close attention to the stated function of each room. They stopped at a closed door. Edgeworth thought he heard someone inside. Von Karma seemed to be debating whether or not to show him this room, but after a moment's hesitation he flung open the door._

_"This is the nursery," von Karma said to the young Edgeworth._

_The first thing Edgeworth noticed was how well-kept the room was. He assumed that, belonging to a small child, the nursery would be in a permanent state of mess. Rather than being scattered about, an army of stuffed animals seemed to have been placed in strategic locations all around the room._

_There were three people in the room besides Manfred von Karma and Edgeworth himself. There were two young women who seemed to be in their late 20's, both dressed in the sort of fancy, ruffled clothes that von Karma seemed to favor. One of them had short dark hair and a strained smile on her face. The other was a redhead and had been smiling sweetly the entire time. The third person was the nursery's inhabitant, a young child approximately two years of age, holding a fluffy stuffed goldfish in her arms and, Edgeworth noticed, dressed rather plainly. Once von Karma saw that Edgeworth's attention had turned to the other people in the room, he saw fit to make introductions._

_"Those two are the nannies." He nodded toward the two women._

_"I'm Maria," the redheaded nanny cheerfully introduced herself._

_"Jean," the other nanny stated tersely._

_"This is my daughter, Franziska." There was a distinct tinge of distaste in his tone as he said this, and Jean looked at him sharply._

_Edgeworth caught the tone but missed the look, beacuse he had been watching Franziska. She was staring at her father with a blank expression. _

_"Hello, Franziska." Upon hearing him speak her name, she turned her blank stare on the young Edgeworth and hugged her goldfish a little tighter. After a moment it became obvious that the child did not intend to reply. Edgeworth turned to von Karma. "She didn't say anything."_

_"She doesn't speak," Maria said, with a sad expression that seemed rather forced. Edgeworth noticed a hint of French accent in her speech. He would have liked to find out more about the silent child, but von Karma had already turned to leave and Edgeworth had no choice but to follow. Von Karma closed the door behind them and resumed the journey down the long and winding hallway._

_The young Edgeworth felt compelled to say something to von Karma about his daughter, even though he didn't know why or what to say. "She is... a cute little girl..." he spoke up hesitantly._

_Von Karma didn't look at the boy as he replied, "In the future, if we are unable to find anyone more suitable for you, then you may marry her when she is of age." This comment was totally unexpected, and Edgeworth was too surprised by far to react._

_After the grand tour of the von Karma mansion, Edgeworth was given the rest of the day to unpack his things and get settled. He was still curious about the von Karma girl and once he had his room set up, he made his way back to the nursery._

_"Hello," he called out timidly, peeking around the edge of the now-open door. Jean was sitting on the floor with Franziska on her lap, a storybook open of the floor in front of them. The fluffly goldfish was now sitting on top of a low dresser and a brown stuffed puppy had taken its place in the little girl's arms. Maria was nowhere in sight._

_"Hello, Miles," Jean replied pleasantly. "I was just reading Miss Franziska a story. Would you like to come in?"_

_Edgeworth entered the nursery and knelt so that he was on the same level as Franziska. "Hello, Franziska," he said to the little girl. "Do you remember me?" He was surprised when she nodded in answer, and when he looked again he saw that her eyes were wide and bright and she was smiling happily, without a trace of the blank stare from earlier. "You like stuffed animals, dont you?" Again the little girl nodded. "The goldfish is your favorite, isn't it?" At this, her smile faded and she slid from the nanny's lap, dropped her puppy and went over to the window where she pulled down a small green stuffed frog from the sill and sat, pouting, on the edge of her bed._

_"The unicorn is her favorite," Jean told him, with a touch of anger in her voice. "The goldfish is 'Maria'."_

_The young Edgeworth was confused by this. "What do you mean it's Maria?"_

_Jean considered for a moment before deciding to reply. "It's the one she uses to tell me when Maria has done something to her."_

_Now Edgeworth was concerned. "What? What do you mean, Maria's done something to her?"_

_Jean sighed. "I feel like I shouldn't be telling you this. You are still a child as well, after all..."_

_"No, please tell me," the young Edgeworth begged. His worry for the younger child must have shown in his face, becuase Jean relented and explained the situation to him._

_"Maria... Maria hits her." Edgeworth's eyes went wide, but he didn't interrupt. "I've tried telling her father, but he just says that the disciplinary actions are up to our own discretion and I shouldn't criticize my co-worker's methods. Then he won't listen when I try to tell him-" She cut herself off and took a deep breath. Edgeworth thought she looked like she was about to cry. "She does it for no reason." Edgeworth looked over at the little girl and noticed that she had put the frog away again and was laying in her bed, cuddling a pink unicorn._

_Jean saw where he was looking and smiled sadly. "If her father would just pay attention to her, he would see that she really is a very bright child... she may not talk, but she still has found a way to tell me anything she wants."_

_The young Edgeworth was fascinated. "Really, how?"_

_"The animals. Franziska," she called to the little girl. "Show me which one is nanny Jean."_

_Franziska went immediately to the corner cupboard and pulled out a floppy brown rabbit. She smiled as she held it in her arms. _

_"Show me which one is tired." A blue whale from the dresser. "And hungry." A bright red lobster from the bookshelf. Edgeworth had to admit that it was pretty impressive for a two-year-old to be able to communicate her every need and desire through which stuffed animal she was holding._

_Jean stood up and walked to one of the toyboxes. She opened the lid, revealing a whole pile of brand-new stuffed animals. "Now, we'll need one for 'Miles'," she said. Franziska reached into the toybox and pulled out a large black-and-blue stuffed snake. She coiled it on top of the toybox. "So, this one is Miles," said Jean, but the little girl shook her head and pointed toward her bed, then picked up the goldfish from the nearby dresser._

_"What?" the young Edgeworth asked, looking from the little girl to the nanny and back again in confusion._

_Jean smiled tersely. "She says you can be the unicorn because she doesn't want Maria to know which one is you." Maria would assume the new animal represented the new person, and not look anymore into it._

_After that day, Edgeworth often came to the nursery to play with Franziska during his free time. Von Karma did not discourage this association, and Edgeworth soon grew tired of hearing the words "If we are unable to find anyone more suitable for you, then you may marry her when she is of age."_

_Two years passed in this manner until one day when Edgeworth was eleven years old, he overheard part of angument between Jean and von Karma. Jean was yelling, "She is your daughter! Don't you care about her at all?" Edgeworth did not linger to hear the answer but after that day, Jean was never seen in the von Karma household again. For weeks afterward, the floppy brown bunny never left Franziska's arms. Her message was clear: "I want nanny Jean."_

_After two months, the bunny disappeared back into the cupboard and things started to turn up broken. Every time, Maria would bring the girl to von Karma and tell him the same thing with a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry to bother you, but it seems Miss Franziska has broken the vase is the library." Or the west wing. Or the garden path. The location and (sometimes) the type of object varied. Franziska would stand beside the nanny with the vacant expression she always wore in her father's presence, holding a large red stuffed dragon._

_Von Karma would always answer, in a bored tone, "Yes, thank you for telling me, Maria. Have one of the maids clean it up."_

_Things continued on in this manner for almost an entire year, until one day when Franziska (now five years old) showed up at her father's door alone. Edgeworth saw that Maria was nowhere in sight and Franziska's arms were empty of animals._

_When von Karma noticed his daughter hovering in the doorway of the office, he barely glanced at her as he said, "I'm busy, Franziska. I don't care what you've broken this time. Just have one of the maids clean it up."_

_"I haven't broken anything," the little girl spoke out in a strong, clear voice. It was the first time Edgeworth had ever heard her speak, and from the look on von Karma's face, it was apparent that this came as a shock to him as well. Franziska went on to explain that Maria had been breaking things and blaming it on her. The first time, it had been an accident, but the nanny hadn't wanted to get in trouble herself and thought she could get away with it because she thought the girl had no way to tell her father the truth. She didn't know that Franziska had secretly learned to talk. Franziska had been willing to let the incident pass, but Maria soon became addicted to the thrill and Franziska quickly grew tired of being made to look like a clumsy fool when she had done nothing to deserve such scorn. The little girl had known that her father would not believe her without proof. She had spent the past year gathering evidence and now she made her case against Maria._

_With a nasty smile on his face, von Karma called Maria into his office. She was fired immediately. "Your services are no longer needed. My daughter is old enough to take care of herself." Maria was almost out the door when he said, "By the way, I will be pressing charges..."_

_Once Franziska had proven herself a worthy successor to the von Karma name in her own right, there was no more talk of Edgeworth marrying her._

Edgeworth woke up, realizing he had actually fallen asleep at his desk. He sighed and decided to just go home without trying to finish the last of the day's workload. He was just about to get up when Lana Skye came barging into his office.

"Good, you're still here," the chief prosecutor said. "There's been a murder. It's rather... sensitive... and I'd like you to handle the case, but I think the police department may already have contacted _her_."


	4. Investigation and Distraction

**DISCLAIMER: Phoenix Wright belongs to Capcom. All names of my friends' names, real or screen, used in the following chapters are used in a ficticious manner and the characters based on those names are not an accurate representation of their personalities. Ayame Sohma and anything else Fruits Basket-related that appears in this chapter belong to Natsuki Takaya.**

Chapter 4 - Investigation and Distraction

When they arrived on the scene, the corpses of the victims were still there. In a corner of the living room, two small children's bodies lay crumpled on the floor in a pool of blood. Their heads were smashed to pulp. Blood and brains were splattered across the two walls that met in the corner. A metal baseball bat inscribed with the letters **B.A.N.** was lying on the floor beside the couch, also covered in blood and brain matter.

The parents, Nu Ascom and Odin Asib, were arrested immediately. There were five other witnesses found in the playroom across the hall from the murder scene: the four remaining Asib children and Odin's sister, Phoenix, who had made the call that reported the murder.

With the evidence and a brief statement from Phoe, the police were able to piece the night's events together as follows: Phoenix Asib was babysitting the three younger children, Cat, Mushroom (twins, 3 years old) and George (2 years), while Nu was at work. Nu arrived home at 4 p.m. with the older boys, Sparda (7), Sparky (5)and Raven (4) who she had picked up from school on the way home. Odin, who was Nu's boyfriend but not married to her or living in the house, had arrived at 9 p.m. to take the children to his house for the night. A mini-war had broken out between the children while packing for the trip to Dad's house, and Phoe had separated the main combatants by taking the larger of the two little armies into the playroom. Mushroom, George, Sparda and Sparky went with her, leaving Cat and Raven in living room. After multiple attempts to shut up her crying children, Nu beat them to death with the baseball bat in a fit of rage. Odin had not attempted to stop her in any way, and would be charged with accessory to murder.

Franziska felt sick just looking at the bodies. Instead of cracking her whip and shouting orders while the police officers gathered evidence, she stood off to the side, desperately willing herself not to throw up. This had to be the worst case she has ever worked on.

Once they had gotten everything they could from the scene, everyone returned to the police station to file the reports and start the forensic testing. There was nothing else that Franziska needed to do, really, although normally she would hang around and harass the police while they worked. She still carried her whip with her, but she hadn't felt inclined to use it lately. _Could this be what they call "depression"? No, of course not. A von Karma does _not_ get depressed._

Franziska was on her way out of the police station when Detective Gumshoe approached her. He had that sad-depressed look on his face, the one that seemed to be his natural expression most of the time. He really did look miserable, and somehow she restrained herself from venting her frustrations on him. "What do you want?" she said quietly. "I don't need to be here right now. I'm leaving."

The way she calmly spoke those words was scarier than when she yelled or cracked her whip and Gumshoe almost lost his nerve right then, but he managed to gather his courage and ask, "Um, were you ever planning on giving that coat back, pal?" Ah, yes. The infamous coat.

"...do you mind if I keep it?" She hadn't meant to say it and mentally kicked herself as the words slipped out. She wouldn't consciously admit it, but she did want to keep the detective's coat. Its presence comforted her somehow.

"That's kind of the only coat I own..." Gumshoe hedged, looking more depressed than ever. He was reluctant to turn her down outright, because (for reasons he could not begin to imagine) she seemed to honestly want to keep it.

"I'll buy you a new one."

When Franziska von Karma and Detective Gumshoe left the police station together that night, the rumors that had been flying only intensified. The term "date" was bandied about quite a bit. Speculation as to the prosecutor's reasons for taking an interest in the detective had her on a power trip, using the possesion of his trenchcoat to mark him as her property. Whispers of "What does she think she's doing, leading a grown man on like that? She's only eighteen years old..." and "That poor guy...getting suckered like that..." could be heard all around the police station.

When she said she would buy him a new coat, he didn't think she meant _right now_. Apparently he was mistaken. Franziska dragged the detective to a small clothing store in the warehouse district. The sign stated simply, "Ayame." A smaller sign advertising "hand-crafted romantic fantasies" had been taped crookedly in the window beside it. It was after midnight so the detective was surprised that a little store like this would be open.

A man with long white-blonde hair was leaning against the counter. He looked up when he heard them enter.

"Back so soon, Ms. von Karma? What can I do for you this time?" he asked, smiling broadly.

"Mr. Ayame Sohma," Franziska replied, calling the shopkeeper by his full name. It's an annoying habit she can't seem to break... "I am in need of a coat."

Ayame's smile faded a bit. "What happened to the one you bought last week? That was some of my finest work..."

"It isn't for me."

It was then that Ayame noticed Gumshoe, who was hovering several feet behind Franziska.

He stepped out from behind the counter and said, addressing the detective, "I think we may have something that suits you. If you'll step over here-" He directed Gumshoe to a rack in a back corner of the store. Franziska followed the two men to supervise the selection of the detective's new coat. She was the one paying for it, after all.

"Isn't it a little strange to keep your shop open so late, pal?" Gumshoe asked as Ayame searched the rack, apparently looking for something in particular.

The shopkeeper replied without looking up, "I had someone coming in to pick up a special order anyway, so I figured I might as well keep the shop open for the duration." He finally found what he was looking for and handed a long black coat to the detective. Ayame frowned as he watched Gumshoe trying on the coat. "We may need to alter it a bit..."

"You think?" Gumshoe answered with an embarassed smile. Ayame quickly fixed what needed to be fixed and had Gumshoe try it on again. As it turned out, the coat fit him well, and also actually looked pretty good on him.

"There, that's another wonderful job I've done. Be sure to return if you should ever find yourself in need of any of my creations again!" the shopkeeper told them cheerfully.

Franziska paid for the coat and they left. Once they were outside the shop, the detective turned to her and asked if she wanted to go to the circus with him. "This is their last night in town and I've been meaning to go," he explained. "We should be able to make in time for the last show..." That sad-depressed look was back in full force. "I'd hate to miss it, especially since I had Mr. Wright get the tickets for me." From the look on Franziska's face he couldn't tell what her answer was going to be, but for some reason he really wanted her to go with him. "Come on, it'll be fun! You like fun, don't you?" Franziska wasn't sure she had ever had anything that qualified as _fun_ in her life... "Besides," he added. "It'll take your mind of the case for a while."

_He noticed._ He had noticed how uncomfortable she was at the crime scene tonight. When she thought about this revelation, Franziska felt a flutter of some unfamiliar electric feeling. She sighed. "When you put it that way... how can I refuse?"

* * *

for those of you who aren't board friends of mine: **Notes on names-** They are all taken from the boards at Adult Swim, where my friends and I frequent the Incoherent Babbling folder. Asib, obviously I just took AS and IB and ran them together. I used Ascom for Nu because she needed a different last name than Odin and Phoenx and I only ever see her in the .com folder, so... Nu, Odin and Phoenix are moderators. (yes, Phoenix has the same first name Phoenix Wright, but we call her Phoe for short, so there will be very little confusion during the trial) Raven is psycho-raven, Cat is short for my screen name (we both got banned by SwimMod-Nu, hence the murder by "banstick") Mushroom is Caffeinated-Mushroom, who was my IB twin for a while. (same rank, same avatar on the boards) Sparda is LDK-SPARDA (who has somehow become my online onii-chan), Sparky is Kagome-Naked / SwimPsyco, George is ViciousLovesYou or Vincents-twin, I'm not sure which one's real name that is... 


	5. The Road to Hell

Chapter 6 - The Road To Hell

It was the morning of the trial. Nu Ascom had hired Phoenix Wright to defend her. No other defense attorney was willing to take her case, but that's how Phoenix gets most of his clients anyway...

Phoenix was more nervous than usual as the trial opened, but he knew what he had to do. It would be tough to pull off, especially within the context of such a touchy subject as a child murder, but he had to do what he had to do and he was going to do it in his usual style.

"Are the defense and the prosecution ready?" asked the judge.

Franziska found herself unable to force her usual confident smile onto her face this morning as she replied, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Phoenix declared with an intense expression on his face. He was determined not to screw this up.

The judge was slightly taken aback by Phoenix's intense stare. "Ms. von Karma, you may make your opening statement."

"Nu Ascom murdered two of her own children, and I intend to prove it!" She cracked her whip against her desk and shot Phoenix a death-glare. The defense attorney noticed for the first time that something was wrong. This was usually the part where she would say "A von Karma is perfect!" and tell Phoenix how he was going to be defeated. Today she seemed to be off her game.

_At the worst possible time..._ he thought to himself, sighing aloud.

Detective Gumshoe was called to the stand to testify about the police's findings at the crime scene.

"It was about 9:30 p.m. when we got the call. We arrived on the scene at 9:55 p.m."

"HOLD IT!" Phoenix shouted. "Who did you recieve the call from?"

"It was the defendant's sister-in-law," Gumshoe replied. "Well, that's what we would call her if her brother and the defendant were actually married-"

Franziska's whip cracked against the witness stand, but missed the detective, as she shouted, "Stop rambling and just say her name!"

"Phoenix Asib."

_The witness's name is Phoenix...?_ Phoenix Wright thought to himself. He was not amused. That could get confusing.

"Continue your testimony, detective," the judge commanded.

"The murder took place in the living room. There were two bodies. The murder weapon, a metal bat, was left nearby in plain sight."

At this point Franziska submitted the crime photo and murder weapon to the court as evidence. She looked like she was about to be sick as she handed them over, and once Phoenix got a look at the picture he could see why.

"If the defense has no further questions, then the prosecution may call its next witness."

"Witness, please state your name and occupation for the court."

"My name is Phoe Asib. I moderate a message board."

"Please testify to the court about what you were doing at the defendant's house the day of the murder."

"I went to Nu's house at 10:30 a.m. to babysit the younger children while she went to work. The older children had already been taken to school earlier that morning."

"HOLD IT!" Wright shouted. "Which of the children were with you at that time?"

"OBJECTION!" Franziska shouted. "This question is irrevlevant. _All of the children_ were present at the _time of the murder_!"

This was it. This where he had to push it.

"Don't you think that's a little strange?" the defense attorney asked, with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What are you getting at, Mr. Phoenix Wright?" Franziska asked suspiciously.

He slammed his hands down on his desk, then pointed his finger at the witness (in that special way he has of doing just that) and said, "Ms. Asib, one of the older children witnessed the murder. Isn't that true?" Wright knew he was right; he had recieved the information after a grueling battle with a very stubborn Psyche-Lock.

"Yes, that is true," Phoe replied, hanging her head. "Sparky ran out of the playroom when he heard the fight."

"And you, yourself, are not an eyewitness to the actual crime?"

"No. I was in the playroom the whole time."

"The defense demands that the boy be called on to testify!"

A few seconds later than he would have expected, Franziska's whip slashed savagely across his face. _Any harder, and that would have drawn blood_.

"Mr. Phoenix Wright, we are talking about _a five-year-old child_," she said. Her voice was cold and dangerous and he knew that he had stepped into risky territory, but he couldn't back down now.

"OBJECTION! Ms. von Karma, this boy is the _only _witness in this case who both _saw the crime_ and has _no reason to lie_ about it!"

"OBJECTION! Mr. Phoenix Wright, nothing the boy could testify would improve your case! I didn't want to have to do this-" He could tell from the look on her face that she meant it. "-but since you insist on pressing the point, you have forced my hand. The boy gave a statement to the police on the night of the murder. I have a recording of it here." She handed it to the bailiff who passed it on to the judge.

The judge decided to allow it, and played recording for the court to hear.

/There was a crackle of static, then a voice Phoenix recognized as belonging to Maggey Byrde: "Can you say your name for me?" A sniff, then the scared voice of a little boy: "Sparky Asib." "Sparky, can you tell me what happened tonight?" "We were getting ready to go to daddy's house and then Cat and George started having a fight and Raven pulled Mushroom's hair so I punched him, and Sparda did too, then Aunt Phoe dragged us all into the playroom except for Raven and Cat." There was about 30 seconds of silence, then Maggey's voice asking: "Can you tell me what happened next?" "I heard them fighting and I went back into the living room. Mommy was holding her bat, the one we're not supposed to touch, and she was screaming, she was really mad." "Did you see you brother and sister?" "I didn't have a chance to. My daddy picked me up and took me out into the hall as soon as I came into the room. I kept trying to get away from him and go back in the living room but he made me go back in the playroom with Aunt Phoe." "Is there anything else you remember about it?" "When we were in the hallway I heard a big bang like she hit something with the bat, then Raven screamed and I heard some squishes. I didn't hear anything but Mommy screaming after Daddy put me back in the playroom. He closed the door."/

The judge shut the recording off. "I think we've heard enough!" He slammed his gavel down. "The court sees no reason to prolong this trial. I will now render my verdict. Nu Ascom is GUILTY of two counts of murder. Pending Odin Asib's trial, the court grants temporary custody of the remaining Asib children to Franziska von Karma. Court is adjourned!"


	6. The Space Between

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know which of his books it came from, but the lines about traffic and silverware came from a book by Chris Crutcher, and it belongs to him. I am using it here without permission. The Space Between is a song by Dave Matthews Band and I have borrowed its name (without permission) for this chapter's title.**

Chapter 6 - The Space Between

Franziska stood frozen behind the prosecution bench. Everyone else had left the courtroom, but she was still standing there, reeling in shock from the judge's final statement. That stupid old man... that _fool_... What the hell was she going to do with four children? She had never even had a pet in her life, much less another human being to take care of. She had no idea how to even begin caring for a child...

After a good five minutes had passed, Detective Gumshoe came back to get her. "Come on, we have to go get the kids and take them to your place..." He took her gently by the hand and led her out of the courtroom. Once they were outside, Franziska shook off her daze and freed her hand from the detective's grip.

The detective wasn't offering any of his usual chatter. The silence was tense and uncomfortable, making Franziska feel pressed to say something. In an effort to make small talk while avoiding the subject of the children, all she could think of to say was, "The circus was... fun, wasn't it?" She sounded so uncertain saying it, however...

"You don't say that like you enjoyed it," the detective replied.

"What was there to enjoy? It was ridiculous, juvenile, _foolish-_" She broke off her rant when she saw that the detective was laughing at her.

"They told you that cars and trucks were forks and spoons..." This remark was came from so far out of left field, Franziska didn't know what to make of it.

"No one told me that traffic was silverware!" she snapped.

Detective Gumshoe chuckled at her response. "Yeah, that's exactly what the character in the book said, too. What it means is that you were taught the wrong names for things... like, for example, that defeating the defense in court is 'fun'..."

That actually seemed to be a valid observation, but instead of recognizing it, Franziska opted to change the subject. "What book?" she asked curiously. She was surprised when the detective pulled a battered paperback from the pocket of his (new) (stylish) (black) trenchcoat and tossed it to her. She caught it clumsily. It was sports novel, about a high-school athlete forced to participate in an anger management class in order to keep his sports eligibility. She might read it sometime, if she were bored enough... She handed the book back to him. She doubted she would have time for reading for a while. She had something else to look forward to doing at the moment...


	7. Hell

Chapter 7 - Hell

It was the morning after the trial. The Asib children, along with some of their clothing and toys, had been successfully transplanted to Franziska's apartment the night before. She had the guest bedroom set up for them. It had been a long and tiring day for them, and all four kids went to sleep right away with no problems. Once they were awake and full of energy for a new day, however, it was a different story...

Franziska knew next to nothing about how to care for a child. So, of course, she had no clue how challenging a task it would actually be. Her name was too hard for the younger kids to pronounce and too long for the older boys to remember, so they ended up calling her "Sissy".

The kids woke around 6 a.m. It was a little early for her, but not by much. It seemed to be their normal time, so she went along with it. Once she had gotten them all to use the bathroom (she silently thanked God that they were all potty-trained and she didn't have to deal with changing diapers), she herded them into the living room and turned on a cartoon to keep them busy while she fixed breakfast.

She was halfway across the living room when she realized she had no idea what to feed them. She looked back awkwardly over her shoulder at the kids and asked, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!" Sparky replied immediately. The rest of the children quickly concurred.

Pancakes were easy to fix and they had all agreed on what they wanted, so Franziska figured breakfast would go smoothly. She hadn't counted on sticky syrup messes, knocked-over cups, flying forks, and just general squabbling between the siblings. George was still a little young to be adept at feeding himself and refused to eat anything his brothers tried to feed him, so Franziska was forced to put all other tasks on hold while she cut up George's pancakes for him. When she finished and tried to hand his fork back to him, he wouldn't take it and she ended up having to feed him each bite.

By the time George was finished eating, all the other kids had left the table. Franziska lifted him down from the chair and he ran off to find his brothers and sister. She looked around the kitchen. It was a disaster area. Dirty dishes and syrup puddles were all over the table, and little pieces of pancake had found their way onto every available surface including, but not limited to, the floor, the counter, the sink, and the kitchen cabinets. Franziska was surprised when Sparda appeared at her side and said he was tired of playing and wanted to help her. She was still trying to get the mess cleaned up when Sparky came running into the kitchen.

"Sissy!" the little boy shouted. "You better come here!"

"What's wrong?" Franziska asked apprehensively, setting down the sponge she had been using to wash the counter.

"Mushroom peed her pants."

At this point Franziska was starting to feel a little frustrated. On top of the fact that she wasn't getting _anything_ done, the children kept making messes, fighting with each other, and whining. It was the whining that really got on her nerves. The worst, though, was when they started asking her "Where's Cat?" or "Where's Ravey?" She didn't know how to explain in a way that they could understand, so wheneever they asked she just told them "They're not here..."

After the pants-wetting incident, she made sure that the children all knew where the bathroom was and that they should go there immediately if they felt like they needed to use it.

Franziska soon discovered that Sparky was very bossy, and Mushroom and George would usually do anything he was doing. On the other hand, Sparda was unusually clingy for a child his age and ended up following Franziska around like a duckling all day.

Lunch was a complete and total disaster. Disaster isn't even a strong enough word for it. It was hell. The kids couldn't agree on anything they wanted to eat, so Franziska ended up making four different things. Then there was the food fight... and once she'd gotten that settled down, she had to give all each child a bath and get them into clean clothes. (Harder than it sounds, especially seeing as how everyone but Sparda ran away and hid at the mere mention of the word "bath".)

After his bath, Sparky laid down on the couch and to watch cartoons. (The TV had been left on all day even though no one had been watching it since before breakfast, because Franziska had never managed to find a moment to shut it off.) The younger two followed suit and were soon sound asleep. Sparky was still awake, but was completely absorbed in the adventures _Skyblazer: Battle Kite_ and would not leave the couch again until both episodes were over, even though the second one was a re-run.

During this single hour of quiet time, Franziska finished cleaning up the last of the messes that were spread all around her apartment. (Dirty clothes in the bathroom, toys scattered everywere and the nuclear fallout zone formerly known as the kitchen...) Sparda trailed after her, occasionally helping but mostly not. He chattered away the whole time (the way kids do), about schools and tractors and puppies and anything else he could think of. Franziska wasn't really paying attention to him. In fact, she tuned out his chatter for the most part while she concentrated on getting her apartment back into some semblance of order, so she was surprised when he suddenly asked her a question.

"Sissy, do you have a boyfriend?"

"What? No!" she replied without thinking. She stopped what she was doing and turned to look at the boy. "Why did you ask me that?"

"No reason," Sparda replied.

She could tell he was lying and wondered if he was thinking about his parents. She didn't have much time to wonder about it, because soon Sparky's show was over and he was off the couch, making an ungodly racket with his toy trains. Mushroom and George were both crying, disoriented after waking up in an unfamiliar place.

Franziska had no clue as to how to comfort the crying children, and Sparky did not respond well to being yelled at. Aside from not making him behave, Franziska losing her temper had another undesired effect. Sparda got scared and started to cry. Franziska didn't know what to do. She really missed her whip right now. (Of course, she couldn't use it on the children and she knew that. It was safely tucked away in her bedroom closet.) Sparky looked from his wailing siblings on the couch to his sniffling big brother and back again, then, to Franziska's surprise, he burst into tears. She could understand why, though. She felt like crying now, too.

She needed help and she knew it. The only person she could think of to call was Miles...


	8. Before You Get to Heaven

**A/N: Wow, I copied all of Devil's ch 8 into here, but I only ended up keeping about 2 lines of it. Mostly because Phoenix and Maya were never supposed to show up in this scene in the first place...**

Chapter 8 - Before You Get to Heaven

It was 5 p.m. when Edgeworth recieved the call. As soon as he picked up the phone, he could hear the crying...

"Hello? Franziska?"

"Miles..." Her voice was shaking and he could tell that she was at her breaking point.

"Don't worry, I'll be there soon." He didn't care that he was in the middle of an investigation. It wasn't likely that Odin could be convicted of anything, anyway, after the evidence that had come out at yesterday's trial. Besides, he was sure the police could handle the rest on their own.

"Whoa, Mr. Edgeworth, where are you going, pal?" Edgeworth sighed. Of course _that_ pesky detective would notice him trying to sneak off.

"Franziska just called me. She's having some trouble with the kids. The officers should be able to handle this without me..." Of course, he should have known that the man could not take a hint.

"I'm coming with you!"

Edgeworth decided not to waste time arguing the point. _And here's hoping that he knows something about kids, because I sure as hell don't._

* * *

They arrived at Franziska's apartment to find that the situation was already resolved, for the most part. After making the call for help, Franziska had finally broken down and started crying. Sparda stopped crying soon after Franzsika started. Somehow he managed to get Mushroom and George to calm down enough that they could be distracted with toys, and led them back into the bedroom. 

Which left Sparky and Franziska in the living room, both still crying.

Sparky raised his head and looked straight at Franziska and he said, "My mommy killed my brother and sister, didn't she?"

"Yes," Franziska answered in a strained voice, not looking at the child. And what she said next, no one expected. "My papa killed my mama." The memory had been hovering at the edge of her mind ever since that night on the train. It seemed she could no longer run from it, no longer suppress it. Now that she had voiced it aloud, she would have to come to terms with it and what it meant for her. (Now that everyone was distracted, Sparky took the opportunity to escape and re-join his brothers and sister.)

Tears poured down Franziska's face and she sobbed brokenly. Gumshoe and Edgeworth knelt on either side of the crying girl and wrapped their arms around her. She could hear the two of them speaking meaningless words to her: "_It's alright. You're safe now. Your father is gone. Please don't cry. I'm here. Calm down. Everything is going to be alright._" While Edgeworth's voice was confident, his touch was tentative. On the other hand, the detective fumbled for words while his embrace was firm yet gentle. Franziska shifted to lean against the detective and laid her head on his shoulder. She had calmed down a bit by now.

Detective Gumshoe looked over at Edgeworth and asked, "Mr. Edgeworth, did you know that Manfred von Karma killed his wife?"

"I had my suspicions," Edgeworth replied hesitantly. "There was never any proof, though, and he always maintained that his wife left him because of his focus on his career." He paused. "I think he may have killed Jean Russeau, also."

"Who's Jean Russeau?" the detective asked.

"She was Franziska's nanny..."

The next few moments passed in silence, then Franziska suddenly burst out, "It was stupid!"

"What was...?" Edgeworth asked hesitantly.

"My parents. The reason. It was so stupid. They started fighting because he told her not to speak to me in baby talk... After that, I became terrifed to speak. What would he do if I pronounced something wrong?" But, she had learned. She was speaking now... Gumshoe was curious as to how that had happened, but he didn't really think this was the time to ask. Edgeworth, of course, already knew the story behind that, but there was one thing that was bothering him...

"Where was your sister when this happened?"

"She had run away from home to be with a man that papa had forbidden her to see." Franziska paused. "I see her from time to time... I don't know my sister very well."

* * *

**notes on chapter title: It's from a line of a song. The full line is "You have to go through hell before you get to heaven."**

**A/N: Bad place to end the ch, I know. I got most of this out there pretty fast, but now that I'm actually having write the chapters off teh top of my head, it might be a while between updates.**

**The sister is going to play a big role in the ending of this fic. Any suggestions on what the sister and sister's daughter might be named? Also, if you'd like me to continue the original Sympathy for the Devil, please let me know. If enough people want it, I might take down the epilogue and continue from where I left off.**


	9. Nightmares and Memories

Chapter 9 - Nightmares and Memories

Not five minutes had passed when Sparky returned to the living room to announce (in the space of a single breath) that he was hungry, and his brothers and sister probably were too, but he hadn't actually asked them. But he thought they probably were.

"Yes, I'd think you would be," Franziska replied slowly. "After all, you hardly gave anyone a chance to eat before you started that fight at lunch..."

"Sissy," Sparky whined. "Aren't you going to fix dinner?"

"I don't know if I should!" Franziska snapped. "Are you going to behave and eat?"

"Yes," Sparky replied defiantly, pouting.

Then Franziska surprised everyone by saying, "Good boy!" and patting him on the head. In the doorway of the kitchen she turned back and said, "And you'll eat whatever I fix, without complaining. Then the four of you are getting your baths and going to bed!" With that, she stalked off to cook dinner.

Edgeworth and Gumshoe played with the kids while Franziska fixed dinner. The children were surprisingly well-behaved throughout dinner, and went along quietly for their baths afterward. Bedtime was a bit more of a challenge, and by the time all the kids were asleep Detective Gumshoe was pretty sure he could recite "The Three Little Kittens" from memory, seeing as how that was the only story the Asib children ever wanted to hear...

"It's late. We should get going," Edgeworth said. He was already heading toward the door.

"Why don't you just stay the night?" Franziska asked from where she sitting on the couch. I'll sleep out here and you two can take my bed." Because she certainly wasn't going to suggest that either one of them sleep in the bed with _her_.

"Wait, we can't do that," the detective protested. He only meant that he was uncormfortable with the idea of them taking the bed and making Franziska sleep on the couch, but apparently she thought he meant something else...

"Well, if you're that uncomfortable with Miles being gay, you can sleep on the floor," she snapped.

"That's not what I meant-" The detective cut himself off as the meaning of what Franziska had just said sank in. "Wait, Mr. Edgeworth is gay?"

"_I am NOT gay_," Edgeworth hissed, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the children.

"Oh, you are so, and you know it," Franziska replied, busting out the gesture she uses when presenting evidence in court. "You wear a pink suit, your hobby is drinking tea, and you enjoyed playing with my dolls just a bit too much when we were little."

Edgeworth started to respond, but Detective Gumshoe interrupted him. "I was only trying to say that you don't have to give up your bed. We could sleep somewhere else, or, you know, just leave..."

But Franziska insisted that they were to stay the night. And since any alternate sleeping arrangement would leave someone on the floor, the conversation ended with the detective giving in.

* * *

It was about 5 a.m. when the detective wandered into the kitchen. He was surprised to see that Franziska was already there. She was standing barefoot at the kitchen counter, drinking a cup of coffee. A pair of chocobo-patterned pajama bottoms peeked out from beneath the hem of her bathrobe.

She saw him staring and said, "Don't laugh. It was a present from my sister." From the way she was frowning, it was obvious that her sister had no sense of what Franziska's tastes were. "What are you doing up so early, anyway?"

The detective's features slid into his patented sad-depressed expression. "I couldn't sleep. I don't mean to be rude or anything but..." Here his expression changed to one of mild anger. "Mr. Edgeworth is a total bed hog!" Franziska somehow managed to hold back her laughter as Gumshoe rattled on about Edgeworth rolling over on him, kicking him in his sleep, and just generally not staying on his own side of the bed. "So, what about you?" Desptie the fact that his question was tacked on to the end of a lengthy account of dysfunctional bed-sharing, she knew exactly what he meant.

Franziska pointed to the corner of the kitchen, where Mushroom was sitting quietly. Two silky-eared pink stuffed rabbits were sitting on the little girl's lap. Another rabbit of the same style, but green, lay beside her on the floor. "She had a nightmare and refuses to go back to sleep. I've been up with her since four."

"Hi, Scruffy," Mushroom said, looking up at him.

"I wish you wouldn't call me that in fron of the kids. They think it's my name now," the detective said to Franziska in an undertone.

"I know you hate it when I call you that," Franziska whispered back, taking a sip of her coffee. "But just look at her. It's cute when she does it." (If this were a manga, that sentence would be punctuated with a musical note.)

The detective knew better than to try and argue the point. He knelt next to Mushrrom and asked, "What do you have there?"

"I got bunny-rabbits." The little girl proceeded to introduce them by name. "This is Reiji and Ryuichi, and that one-" She pointed to the one on the floor. "-is Oscar." The tip of Ryuichi's left ear was wet and it was obvious that Mushroom had a habit of sucking on it. "Oscar's Ravey's and Reiji is Cat's." The little girl looked so sad, sitting there like that. There was no way she really understood what had happened to her borther and sister, but somehow she knew that she would never see them again. It was heartbreaking to watch.

Detective Gumshoe scooped up the little girl (and all the bunny-rabbits) into his arms. "Come on, let's go watch TV," he said, somehow managing to sound cheerful even though he felt like his heart was breaking with the weight of the child's sorrow. Franziska followed them into the living room and sat next to the detective on the couch.

When 6 a.m. rolled around, the rest of the kids and a very tired-looking Edgeworth wandered into the living room to find the pair asleep on the couch with Mushroom laying across both their laps and Franziska's head resting on the detective's shoulder.

**A/N: The bunnies' names Reji and Ryuichi are NOT references to Edgeworth and Phoenix's Japanese names. They are a reference to Gravitation. (Ryuchi Sakuma, the singer from Bad Luck's rival band, and his American manager Reiji/Rage.)**


	10. Devil's Kiss

Chapter 10 - Devil's Kiss

"Let's just let them sleep," Edgeworth said, leading the boys into the kitchen. He smiled a little. It was kind of cute seeing Franziska like that. He'd had a sneaking suspicion for a while now that she might have a crush on the good detective...

Edgeworth didn't really know his way around the kitchen, so he decided it was okay to let the kids eat cookies for breakfast. (He was surprised Franziska even owned a cookie jar. He'd always assumed that she only ate healthy foods. Have to keep the body perfect, after all...) Not long after he got boys settled in at the table, Mushroom joined them, dragging Ryuichi by one ear.

"Hi, Uni," she said to Edgeworth as she climbed into an unoccupied chair. "Give Mushroom cookies, please!"

"Good morning," Edgeworth replied evenly, fetching a glass of milk and some cookies for the little girl. Ever since Franziska had told them that her pink stuffed unicorn's name was Miles, the kids had all been calling _him_ Unicorn, or just Uni.

The kids were just finishing their breakfast when Edgeworth's cell phone rang. He made the mistake of turning his back to them while taking the call, and by the time he hung up the phone, he had completely lost track of them. The only one left in the kitchen with him was a white silky-eared bunny rabbit that belonged to George. His name was Steve. Edgeworth picked Steve up and went to track down the bunny's owner...

He found the kids playing with Detective Gumshoe in the guest bedroom. The rabbits were out in full force today. Sparda and Sparky each had one of the silky-eared rabbits, as well. Sparda's was a blue one named Flopsy and Sparky's was a red one named Stinky.

"George, you left your special bunny!" Sparky shouted, rushing to retrieve the toy from Edgeworth. "Steve will be sad if you leave him," he said, handing the rabbit to his brother.

"I sorry, Steve," George said, hugging his bunny. Sparky patted George on the head, then sat down beside him and resumed making Stinky hop across the floor.

After about ten mintues of that, the kids got tired of playing and asked if they could watch cartoons. Gumshoe and Edgeworth herded them into the living room and turned on the TV for them. While the detective sat with the kids, Edgeworth went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.

He was greeted by Franziska's icy stare. "Thank you for leaving a mess in my kitchen, which you were perfectly capable of cleaning up," she said coldly.

"Oh, shut up!" he snapped irritably. "I doubt you would have been thinking about things like after finding out-" He stopped mid-sentence. Now that he got a good look at her, he realized he'd never seen her dressed like a normal girl her age before. Today she was wearing a knee-length black skirt and a dark blue blouse, unbuttoned, over a mint green tank top. She was barefoot and her hair was still damp from the shower.

"After finding out what?" Franziska asked curiously. All traces of the frigid aura surrounding her had disappeared.

Edgeworth realized he was staring and shifted his gaze away from her. "The court called me this morning. Apparently, Odin commited suicide in his cell last night... and since he's out of the picture, the court is now trying to find foster homes for the children..."

Franziska frowned. "What about the aunt?"

"They've already asked her," Edgeworth replied. "She said she'll take one of the older boys. If worse comes to worst, she'll take both of them, but she doesn't really have the time or money to take care of the younger kids right now." He glanced at his watch. "We can talk more later. I have to leave soon or I'll be late." On his way out, he said to Gumshoe, "Be at my car within the next five minutes, detective, or you'll be stuck taking the bus to work."

But Detective Gumshoe was reluctant to leave.

"You know, I could stay here and help you with the kids..." he hedged.

"I can handle it," Franziska replied, pushing him toward the door. "Besides, can you really afford to miss a day of work? Do you want your salary docked again?"

The detective sighed. "No, not really," he answered, the sad-depressed look creeping over his features.

"Good, now go to work." Franziska leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then shut the door in his face.


	11. Sisters

**A/N: Anything about Franziska's sister and neice appearing in this chapter is made up entirely by me, seeing as how they are barely mentioned in the games.**

Chapter 11 - Sisters

_Three months have passed_.

Sofia von Karma was having problems with her latest boyfriend, and she had decided that some quality time alone together would do them a world of good. (Her daughter, Katerina, didn't get along very well with the boyfriend.) Sofia had asked her sister to let Katerina stay with her for a few months while she got things settled at home. She was surprised that Franziska had agreed.

After assuring Katerina that her dog would be well taken-care of while she was away, Sofia packed a suitcase for her daughter and the two of them took the first flight they could get. Of course, Sofia would be turning around and flying straight back to Germany as soon as Katerina was safely passed into Franziska's care.

Sofia shook her head as if to clear it of stray thoughts. She was in the middle of a crowded airport. She should be looking for her sister, not wandering around lost in thought.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm. She turned toward her assailant... and found herself face-to-face with Franziska.

"Sofia! Where is your mind today?" Franziska snapped. "You walked right past me!"

"I'm... sorry..." Sofia replied hesitantly. The young woman standing before her looked nothing like the Franziska von Karma that Sofia remembered. For one thing, the clothes she was wearing were absent of frills and bows. In fact, Franziska was looking positively Goth in a knee-length flowing black skirt, black silk blouse with black pearl buttons (unbuttoned at the collar), and knee-high black leather lace-up-the-front boots. She even had a black ribbon tied in her hair.

That was another thing. Franziska had let her hair grow out. The tips of her hair now brushed her shoulders. Papa had always kept Franziska's hair long. Sofia had been there the day Franziska cut it. It was the day she first picked up the whip. She wasn't very good with the weapon at first and had somehow gotten it tangled in her hair. The headstrong young girl had then taken a knife and cut it all off. Papa was furious when he'd seen what Franziska had done, but the little girl had stared him down, explaining simply that it had been in the way. And when something got in a von Karma's way, that something was doomed to being removed. Franziska had kept her hair short ever since then. Sofia wondered what had changed that. It was only then that she noticed the obvious absence of the whip.

But the most striking difference, by far, was the fact that Franziska was accompanied by another person. A little girl, to be exact. She was a cute little thing, probably about three years old, if Sofia had to guess. The little girl was clinging to Franziska's skirt with both hands.

Sofia didn't know how long she had been staring before she finally found her voice again. "You never told me you had a child..."

"She's my ward," Franziska explained, leaning down and lifting Mushroom into her arms. "There was a case..." She opened the Court Record and presented Newspaper Clippings 1, 2, and 3 to Sofia. These contained details of the Asib murder trial and follow-up speculation. As Sofia scanned the articles, Franziska continued to explain. "The court found a home for George pretty quickly, and it took a little convincing but the aunt agreed to take both of the older boys. By the time they found anyone willing to take this little one, she had become attached to me and she refused to go with them. So, I ended up adopting her myself."

After the boys had gone to their new homes, Franziska had started going to work again. She took Mushroom to the office with her. None of the other prosecutors minded, because as long she had the child with her, she didn't have her whip. Even without it, she was a strong young woman with an aura of command about her. On days she had trials, Detective Gumshoe watched Mushroom for her. The little girl was almost as attached to the detective as she was to Franziska. Ever since he'd gotten his car back (Edgeworth got so tired of the detective bumming rides that he'd payed the repair bill for him), the detective came over almost every day after he got off work. He would play with Mushroom while Franziska fixed dinner and the three of them would eat together. He usually left before Franziska gave Mushroom her bath and put her to bed, but occasionally he stayed long enough to read the little girl bedtime stories.

No matter how hard she tried to hide it, Sofia could plainly see that Franziska cared for the child a great deal. All the doubts she had about leaving Katerina with her sister vanished in that moment.

"Flight 195 for Germany is now boarding."

The flight announcement startled Sofia out of her reverie. "That's my plane; I have to go. Katerina, I'll call as soon as I get home, okay?"

"Okay." Katerina had been standing silently at her mother's side until this point. She made a face as Sofia patted her on the head.

"Okay, let's go," Franziska said, holding out her hand to Katerina. Katerina was eight years old and thought herself to be too old to hold her mother's hand, but there was something different about Franziska, something friendlier, as though the woman had a genuine desire to have her hand held... Katerina stepped forward and took Franziska's hand. "Mushroom, you're going to have to get down. You hold Katerina's other hand while I get her suitcase."

Mushroom shyly took hold of the older girl's free hand. "My name's Mushroom. You're going to stay in my room," she said, smiling. It was the carefree smile of a small child. Katerina couldn't remember the last time she herself had smiled that way. Sometime before her parents broke up and her mother started dating another man...

As the trio headed out of the airport and towards Franziska's apartment, Katerina couldn't help hoping that she would become an inseparable part of Franziska's happy little family.


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue

The happy little family soon expanded to include the Skye sisters as Miles Edgeworth became involved with (and eventually married) Ema Skye. At Edgeworth's wedding, Maya Fey caught the bouquet. And, soon enough, she and Phoenix Wright ended up getting married.

Sofia von Karma came to the conclusion that things would never work out with her boyfriend and ended up moving to America herself.

Despite the fact that they were already raising a child together, Franziska von Karma's relationship with Dick Gumshoe was progressing very slowly. By the time Phoenix and Maya were expecting their first child, Franziska and her dear detective were still fumbling toward their first kiss.

Franziska was 25 years old when he finally proposed to her. She was still 25 years old when their son was born.


End file.
